Government: Too Big for Its Own Britches

Government: Too Big for Its Own BritchesThe government in America has obtained too much power for its own good. Scandals such as wiretapping, the absence of Habeas Corpus in detained "terrorists", and the war on terror are all proof of this fact. There is a public outcry for the government to stop these acts, but their cries fall upon deaf ears. The Bush administration refuses to acknowledge the opinions of the masses, justifying all their actions either under Constitutional powers or executive rights.

Wiretapping provides the most extreme example of the U.S. government abuse of its powers. For the U.S. government to spy on its own citizens without any consent goes against any right to privacy given to the public by the Constitution. And acts like the "Protect America Act," proposed by President Bush and his supporters to make wiretapping a warrantless procedure, do little to correct the situation (Peter). The U.S. government needs to take responsibility for more of its actions, instead of trying to justify them by making them laws. Terrorism may be a major concern, but U.S. citizens should not have to trade their freedom for safety. Acts like these that encourage spying on citizens only limit Americans' liberties without their knowledge thereof. Ideas like wiretapping are things that should be brought before the general public or at least members of Congress to gain their consent, instead of allowing one branch of the government to proceed unchecked.

Another instance of the executive branch proceeding in their actions without regard for the Constitution is the treatment of prisoners in detainment camps. These prisoners are being deprived of their right to habeas corpus- a fundamental right in the due process of law. The executive branch has overridden that right and the voting majority of congress agreed, citing that "the prisoners are dangerous foreign criminals who don't deserve access to the U.S. court" ("Habeas Corpus"). Over 95 percent of...

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

...1
Sims
American Government Honors
15 December 2013
Over time, technology has impacted the police and other law enforcement agencies with new devices for gathering evidence. These new tools have caused constitutional questions to surface. One particular case in Oregon of an individual (DLK) aroused such question. DLK was suspected of growing marijuana inside of his home. Agents used a thermal imager to scan DLK’s residence form the outside. The results indicated heat, just like the kind that is generated by special lights used for growing marijuana indoors. Constructed by the scan, a judge issued a search warrant. A warrant – a legal paper authorizing a search – cannot be issued unless there is a cause, and a probable cause must be sworn to by the police officer or prosecutor and approved by a judge. A warrant must describe what is being searched and what will be seized. 100 marijuana plants were found finalizing the arrest of DLK; however, did the scan violate DLK’s Fourth Amendment rights? The Fourth Amendment states, “The right of people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall be issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized” (Constitution). This amendment touches on the expectation of privacy in your home and person. The...

...same thing to myself; “This part of the city, this hotel, and those robbers would be all in better conditions not just economically but generally, if our elected officials (at the state and federal levels) didn’t always spend their time arguing or campaigning, but actually trying to work together to make life better for the citizens of the United States” (REWORD).
The more I developed opinions, the more I really looked forward to working shifts there -- it was a place to sit down and watch the news, once a week. To get involved in the government, through knowledge and awareness.
By June 2012, the hotel was set to be shut down and demolished by the state in pursuit of a massive highway reconstruction project on US-31. Walking out of the doors for the last time in 8 years, the doors I smeared my fingerprints on as a hyper 7 year old and cleaned as a 14 year old, I was set on what I wanted to do as an adult -- public service, in the government. I want to serve one day as a representative of the people, one that focuses in the end on addressing the issue and compromising, for the sake of our future.
A friend of mine at school, whose political views I share, suggested that I start a CHS Young Democrats club. I consider myself a Democrat -- but I saw that club as the last thing I would ever start. I wanted to make a political discussion club that has no set leaning or favor, a neutral one. This way, students of any political affiliation...

...﻿Outline: Accountability when it’s "tooBig to Fail"
1. Introduction
a. “tooBig to Fail”
i. Rise of Corporations
ii. Taking advantage
b. Why is it important/relevant
i. From world market crashes to ignoring basic human rights
c. “In this paper I will discuss…”
i. Financial Crisis of 2008
ii. Global Sports Events
iii. Who is accountable and how to address the issue
2. Contents
a. The Financial crash of 2008
i. The “pop” and its affect
ii. The creation
iii. Accountability
b. Global Sporting Events
i. Corruption and Human Rights
ii. Who really gains?
c. Who is really accountable?
i. Government, Governing Bodies, Corporations?
3. Conclusion
a. My viewpoint
i. Accountability
1. Media
ii. Culture
1. Systematic approach
Accountability when it’s "tooBig to Fail"
Introduction
The earliest form of corporation goes back to the sixteenth century for the benefit of exploring the New World. From this point onwards until the late 19th century legislatures and regulations kept control over big business (3). However, through the landmark Supreme Court Case of Santa Clara County v. Southern Pac. R. Co., corporations gained the same legal rights and protections of the Constitution as if it were a person (9). From this point on corporations have ballooned in size and amount, and have played a major factor in life...

...Can banks become “toobig to fail”, and should they be allowed to stay that way?
On September 15th 2008, the investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. It was, and still is, the biggest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history , with Lehman’s holding $691 billion in assets at the time. The event was the catalyst for the current financial crisis. By the end of trading that day, $700bn had been wiped off the global stock markets. The Dow Jones had plummeted 500 points, its biggest drop since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 . Despite rumours and knowledge that Lehman’s was struggling, with its share price dropping daily, the huge drop in the financial markets was due to the huge shock. No-one had been expecting this, as it was anticipated that the U.S. government would intervene and bail out the bank, as it had done previously for another investment bank Bear Stearns, and for the mortgage firms Freddie Mac (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Company) and Fannie Mae (Federal National Mortgage Association) earlier on in that month. Everybody had assumed that Lehman’s was simply toobig to fail.
The term “toobig to fail” has become a phrase used to describe banks that are so interconnected, so large and so strategically important that if they were to fail the consequences could be catastrophic for the economies they inhabit . In November 2011, the Financial Stability Board released...

...﻿Short Paper: TooBig to Fail
Changyu Li
7724294
Course No: GMGT4210
Section: A02
Instructor: Dr. Howard Robert Harmatz
Date: October 17th, 2014
After the financial crisis in 2008, there were many famous economists started their analysis about the causes of this crush. Many of them published their own books aimed to discuss the existed problems in the capitalism system. After looking through these books, I found out a book, TooBig to Fail, is written by Andrew Ross Sorkin who is the chief correspondent and columnist of New York Times.
This is an interesting book which also had been adapted for film by Curtis Hanson in 2011. “The author delivers the first true behind-the-scenes, moment-by-moment account of how the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression developed into a global tsunami. From inside the corner office at Lehman Brothers to secret meetings in South Korea, and the corridors of Washington, TooBig to Fail is the definitive story of the most powerful men and women in finance and politics grappling with success and failure, ego and greed, and, ultimately, the fate of the world’s economy.” (Andrew, 2010, p. 4)
Based on the point of Andrew, “Toobig to fail” means several financial unions are so big that they could have serious influence on system risk. Because the executives combine their companies...

...Executive Summary of TooBig To Fail
Andrew Sorkin wrote a book titled TooBig To Fail. This book focus on the collapse of the investment bank Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch was sold by Bank of American, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae was nationalized, and the government took 80 percent of AIG that took place on the weekend of September, 15, 2012. Significantly, he examined the financial markets reactions to the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers.
It starts with the failure of Bear Stern, one of the biggest banks in American. Bear Stern found the bank having too many toxic assets and could not cover its liabilities. The United States implement their own economy in the history of the largest and deepest government intervention. In May of 2008, the Federal Reserve did sale support to the fail Bear Stern to JP Morgan.
Something similar happened to Lehman Brothers in September 2008, Lehman was one of the American five original investment banks. The author discusses that because of bad investment in the subprime mortgage market, insolvency, and shattered investor confidence led to the inevitable downfall of Lehman. At the beginning, Lehman was looking for 30 to 50 billion dollars in financial support by Warren Buffett. Moreover, Lehman tried to seek the financial assistance of the Korea Development Bank. The bank also wanted the government to provide...

...TooBig to Fail
The article “A Movement TooBig to Fail” by Chris Hedges with his criticism of “faux liberal reformers, whose abject failure to stand up for the rights of the poor and the working class, have signed on to this movement because they fear becoming irrelevant”(Hedges) to the reformers along with heads of financial leaders. Through non violent movements and protests against those who threaten the lower class wellbeing, that somehow they as a group gathering for the greater interests can show that others do exist and this is their way of saying that we as a whole united can make a difference and that we as Americans have that right to voice our opinions. It happened in the 1960’s, with the Vietnam war, nonviolent protesting made known that many people of the united states were against the war. Just like what we were doing in the 60s is no different from now, when the “union leaders pull down salaries five times that of their superiors”(Hedges).
The whole idea of this paper is that from as far as we can remember, there have been policies, and recalls on those, ones specifically aimed at the wealth and earnings of our country’s wealthiest verses our country’s poverty stricken and everyday man. Movement such as the Occupy Wall Street movement “simply asking us as a whole to use our bodies and voices” (Hedges) a prime example is when protestors gathered on wall street to voice their views and fight back, on...

...TooBig to Fail
A Film by Curtis Hanson
TooBig to Fail is the idea that a business has become so large and ingrained in the economy that a government will provide assistance to prevent its failure. "Toobig to fail" describes the belief that if an enormous company fails, it will have a disastrous ripple effect throughout the economy. Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/too-big-to-fail.asp#ixzz2GLsRVMT1
a) The movie was able to capture the events, decisions and strategies made both by the government and the private financial institutions during the US Financial Crisis. Which concept discussed in class was emphasized or demonstrated during the height of the financial crisis. Explain your answer.
– The financial crisis that is discussed in the film “TooBig to Fail” is the effect of market and regulatory failure. The market failure took place for the reason that shareholders were not able to protect their own interests and neglected the fundamental measures needed to be done. In companies that reinforced excessive risk taking, compensation structures which show the framework of relatinships between the firm and its independent agents, and among the agents themselves, on the basis of which commissions are computed and along which they are passed on, were constituted....